Chair type exercise apparatus

ABSTRACT

A multifunction exercise apparatus having a seat portion ( 47 ) and a backrest ( 48 ) in the configuration of a chair, which in a first passive mode conceals the presence of a plurality of exercise elements which together form an exercise apparatus, and in a second exercise mode reveals one or more of said exercise elements for a user, the position of the seat portion ( 47 ) being altered and locked in a position with respect to a base portion and support surface on which the apparatus stands when the apparatus is moved between its first passive mode and the second exercise mode. This provides a comfortable chair construction that will fit in well with conventional home or office furniture when the apparatus is not required to be used for an exercise session.

This invention relates to exercise apparatus. It relates particularly toan exercise apparatus that is suited to being used in the home ratherthat a commercial fitness centre. Many users of exercise apparatus do ofcourse have a multiple exercise unit in their home but these units arelarge and bulky and usually have to be situated in a special room, abedroom or garage since they do not fit in well alongside conventionalfurniture pieces. There is therefore a requirement to provide exerciseapparatus that would not look out of place in an ordinary home or officeenvironment

There have been earlier attempts to provide an exercise apparatus thatwas formed in the shape of a chair and one of these is disclosed inpatent number U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,298. The patented apparatus providesmeans for carrying out a limited range of exercises which are directedto leg and arm movements. The apparatus does not require a long settingup procedure and thus it is convenient to be used at intervals duringthe day or else to remain as a functional item of furniture.

The present invention was devised to provide an exercise apparatus thatwould be able to exercise and tone as many muscle groups of the body aspossible and thus to provide a complete training workout. Conventionalmachines which perform this function are usually tall in height and thusthey do not have a compact shape that would blend well with conventionalhome or office future pieces. The invention attempts to provide acompact construction of multifunction exercise apparatus.

According to the invention, there is provided an exercise apparatushaving a seat portion and a backrest in the configuration of a chair,which in a first passive mode conceals the presence of a plurality ofexercise elements which together form an exercise apparatus, and in asecond exercise mode reveals one or more of said exercise elements for auser, the position of the seat portion being altered and locked in aposition with respect to a base portion and support surface on which theapparatus stands when the apparatus is moved between its first passivemode and the second exercise mode.

The seat portion may be raised and tilted to a position parallel to thesupport surface when the chair is altered from the first mode to saidsecond exercise mode. The chair may include supporting frame elementswhich are interconnected operably to allow movement of the seat portionbetween said modes. At least two frame elements may interlock to providea locking mechanism to secure the chair in said second exercise mode,the locking mechanism being releasable by a rotation of one of saidframe elements. The exercise elements may be connected to a singleresistance source which is adjustable to vary the resistance to movementencountered by a user at the exercise elements. The resistance sourcemay comprise a set of freely mounted weights. The free weights may bemovable along flexible guides which collapse from a taut condition whenthe chair is moved from its exercise mode to the passive mode.

The resistance source may be selected from one or more resistance meanssuch as springs, tension bands including rubber ropes, hydraulic orpneumatic cylinders, a set of free weights, electromagnetic resistancemeans, or dynamic friction mechanisms. The resistance source may bedisposed centrally at a rear side of the backrest.

The backrest may include a pair of opposed side panels which are capableof being opened to allow access to a pair of exercise elements adaptedto operate together against a single resistance source.

The exercise elements may include a ‘butterfly’ mechanism having a pairof butterfly arms each of which is rotatable about a secured pivot atelbow or arm support level against the resistance to movement providedby said resistance source. Each butterfly arm may include a constantresistance means effective to ensure the resistance to movement of thebutterfly arms is substantially retained throughout the stroke. Theconnecting elements may be attached to resistance elements for use as achest press exercise means.

The backrest may include a centrally disposed support beam havingattachment means for a ‘high pull’ exercise element having a resistanceto movement provided by the said single resistance source. The seatportion may have an exposed front edge to which there is hingedlyattached an exercise element movable against a resistance source, theexercise element being so shaped as to provide exercise regimes for twoor more separate muscle groups. The hingedly attached exercise elementmay have an arc element piece or other elements attached to provide adownward force resisting upward movement. The exercise element may besecurable in a fixed extended position and to which there is attachablea cycle crank mechanism having a pair of pedals connected via arotatable shank, resistance to rotation of the pedals being provided byan adjustable friction sleeve.

By way of example, some particular embodiments of the invention will nowbe described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the exercise apparatus in the form of a conventional sidechair for home or office use,

FIG. 2 shows the chair frame after removal of upholstery panels,

FIG. 3 shows how upholstery panels may be fitted to the chair frame,

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a leg extension element when in use,

FIG. 5 is a front view of the FIG. 4 detail,

FIG. 6 is a side view of the chair when in use for a biceps curlsexercise,

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the back frame top element,

FIG. 8 shows the butterfly pad,

FIG. 9 shows the butterfly arm, spacer arm and pivot rod end,

FIG. 10 shows the cable connections from the weight stack to the variousexercise modules,

FIG. 11 shows an alternative embodiment of the exercise apparatus,

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the apparatus showing the internalmechanism,

FIG. 13 is a side view of the leg extension mechanism showing the methodof exercising,

FIG. 14 is a side view of the bicycle exercise module,

FIG. 15 is a side view of the bicycle pedal resistance mechanism,

FIG. 16 shows the means for locking the base frame and seat frame in afixed position,

FIG. 17 shows a side section of the apparatus in exercise mode,

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the butterfly mechanism,

FIG. 19 depicts the butterfly arm and pivot rod,

FIG. 20 shows the cable connections to the weight stack,

FIG. 21 shows upholstery panels and cushions, and,

FIG. 22 shows the base frame and seat frame with extension arms.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the exercise apparatus has the general appearanceof an ordinary chair until it is required to be modified by a user toform the multifunction exercise unit. The apparatus is provided with achair seat 47, a back support 48 and arm rests 51. The arm rests can befixed, pivoted or removable.

FIG. 2 shows the basic structural components of the chair including aback frame upright element 41, lower support element 45, top element 62and first pulley 6. An extended top element 33 carries a second pulley34.

A seat structure comprises a seat frame 40 (FIG. 3) attached to the backframe upright element 41 and which carries a pivot housing 15 forsupporting butterfly arms. The seat frame 40 has an extension elementarranged for enabling the length of the seat to be increased when theapparatus is arranged in the exercise mode.

A lower base support element 42 (FIG. 3) which is attached by a hinge 46to the lower support element 45 also is provided with a front supportelement 43. An adjustable height element 36 is attached between thelower base support element 42 and the seat frame 40.

The extended top element 33 (FIG. 3) is raised and secured in a positionabove the back of the chair and having the second pulley 34 is attachedto the top extremity.

A butterfly arm element consists of a pivot housing 15 (FIG. 7) carryinga butterfly pivot rod 65 (FIG. 9) and fixed to the seat frame 40. Thebutterfly pivot rod 65 is connected to the butterfly arm 10 (FIG. 9)having a separate cable spacer arm 11 pivoted to it. The vertical pieceof the butterfly arm is a hollow section and this houses an adjustablebutterfly handgrip 66. The butterfly arm 10 is also connected to thecable spacer arm 11 by means of a connecting link 9 which serves to pullthe cable spacer arm rotating on a vertical axis. The cable spacer arm11 has two vertical anchor rods 14 where the cable 16 (FIG. 9) passesthrough. The cable 16 passes through a cable stop 12 and with a simplefixing this is held in position along the cable 16. When the butterflymodule is used, force is exerted against forearm pads 13 (FIG. 8) thatin turn rotate the cable spacer 11 via the connecting link 9. The cablespacer arm 11 allows the force exerted on the butterfly arm 10 to bekept relatively constant, as the arm 10 rotates allowing the cable 16 tobe kept at a constant radius from the pivot point. As the arm 11 rotatesit pulls cable stop 12 and pulls the cable 16, which is connected to afloating pulley 17. The floating pulley 17 is connected to cable 35, ittransmits the force to the weight stack by the connection 7 and cable 8(FIG. 10).

The pectoral bar 25 (FIG. 7) or handgrip 81 can be attached to a hook 26on the cable 16 which passes through the anchor rods 14. When thepectoral bar 25 or handgrip 81 is pushed forward, the force exerted istransmitted to the weight stack by means of cable 16, floating pulley 17to cable 35. Cable 35 is joined to the connection 7 coupled to cable 8which is connected to a weight stack pick-up rod 3 and the force is thustransmitted to the weight stack.

A stomach exercise effect is achieved by pushing the pectoral bar 25forward against the bar with the user's chest. The pectoral bar 25 andhandgrip 81 can then be disconnected when not in use.

A leg extension element is provided by a front extension element 22(FIG. 4) and member 23 with an elbow joint along its length and hingedat its upper extremity to the seat extension element 28. This hingeallows the front extension element 22 to swing freely when the apparatusis in exercise mode. Attached to the front extension element 22 is acable spacer piece 24 (FIG. 7) which rotates as the front extensionelements 22 rotate. A front cross bar 29 is attached to the frontextension member 23 (FIG. 4). The front cross bar 29 (FIG. 5) has aprotective material cushioning the user's ankles when in use. The frontcross bar 29 can be extended or retracted according to the leg length ofthe apparatus user by means of a thumb screw 39. When the extensionelements 22, 23 are pushed forwards and upwards, they do not follow in aperfect arc and tend to ride upwards on the leg of the apparatus user.In order to prevent this situation, an arc element 37 (FIG. 4) isattached to the elbow of the front extension element 22 which serves topull it in a downward direction.

A biceps curl exercise is achieved by lifting the front cross bar 29which acts as a handgrip bar for this exercise. As the handgrip ispulled upwards, the force exerted is transmitted to cable 8 which passesunder the cable spacer piece 24 keeping it at a constant radius from thehinge 27. The cable spacer piece allows a constant force to be felt bythe apparatus user as the extension elements are raised. The force oncable 8 is then transmitted to the weight stack pick-up rod 3 which inturn lifts the weight stack.

A rowing exercise is achieved by pulling the front cross bar 29 awayfrom the chair structure while the apparatus user is seated on thefloor. As the cross bar 29 is pulled away from the chair, force isexerted to cable 8 which is then transmitted to the weight stack pick-uprod 3 which in turn lifts the weight stack.

The weight stack 1 (FIG. 10) is of a conventional constructioncomprising a stack of rectangular weights slide-mounted on to a pair ofvertical guides 4. Each weight is provided with a central horizontalhole registering with a respective hole in the weight stack pick-up rod3. The central pick-up rod 3 has a lift cable 8 attached and this passesover the first pulley 6. The amount of weight to be lifted is selectedby engaging a lock pin 2 through the appropriate hole in the weightstack and then into the pick-up rod 3. Thus when the cable is adequatelytensioned the selected number of weights in the stack will be lifted.

The cable function depicted in FIG. 10 comprises five cables namely,cable 8, connected to the weight stack pick-up rod 3 passing over thefirst pulley 6, down under the pulley 18 to pulley 21 onto the legextension module and being connected to front extension member 23. Cable35 is joined to cable 8 by a connection 7 which can be simply a ringconnected to cable 8. Cable 35 is joined to connection 7 then passesdown under pulleys 19 and 20 and is connected to a floating pulleycoupling 17 (FIG. 10). Cable 16 passes through the floating pulley 17over pulley 5 and has a hook 26 at each of the extremities of the cable16. The hook 26 is attached to each end of the pectoral bar 25, or handgrips 81 (FIG. 7) by means of a ring fastening. When the pectoral bar 25or handgrip 81 is pushed forward, force is transmitted from cable 16 tocable 35 via floating pulley 17 which is connected to cable 8 viaconnection 7. The force is then transmitted to the weight stack pick-uprod 3 where the appropriate number of weights is lifted. Cable 16 has acable stop 12 secured along each side of its length (FIG. 10) which issecured onto vertical anchor rods 14 fixed to the cable spacer arm 11.When the forearm pad 13 is rotated in a forward direction, it rotatesthe cable spacer arm via connecting link 9 and transmits the force tothe weight stack as described above. Cable 31 is also connected to theweight stack pick-up rod 3 (FIG. 10) and to connection 36. When theextended top element 33 is attached to the upper support bearing beam asecond cable 31 a is joined to cable 31 via a connection 36 and thentravels over the second pulley 34 and to a hook or connection on thehigh pull bar 32. When the high pull bar is pulled downwards force istransmitted via cable 31 a and through cable 31 to the weight stack 1 asdescribed.

The basic upholstery arrangement of the exercise apparatus includes apadded side panel 49 (FIG. 3) which is fixed to the back frame uprightelement 41 with side panels 50 that are made to be hinged, rotated orremovable to give access to the butterfly elements. The back support 48(FIG. 3) is secured to the back frame element and the seat frame elementand is padded or suitably upholstered. The chair seat 47 is a normalfirm padded seat which can slide forward with the extended seat elementThe arm rests 51 of the chair can be hinged or removed when theapparatus is required for use in the exercise mode. When the butterflymechanism has been stowed away, the side panels 50 (FIG. 3) can beplaced in position and the exercise apparatus becomes converted to achair.

FIG. 11 shows an alternative embodiment of the exercise apparatus where,when not required for training purposes, the apparatus can have theappearance and use of a conventional comfortable armchair.

The exercise apparatus comprises a strong-ridged base frame 153 (FIG.22) and a strong-ridged seat frame 154. The base frame and seat frameare secured together by rotating extension arms 155 and 172 (FIG. 16)and held in the raised position by locking arms 156. The lockingmechanism consists of a square section bar 167 placed across the baseframe 153 (FIG. 16) which rotates by means of a pull arm 169 or a handle192 (FIG. 16). The locking arm has a square section cut out which locksonto the bar 167 when lifted up to exercise mode. A spring 157 (FIG. 16)forces the locking arms 156 back onto the square section bar 167securing the seat in an exercise mode. The square section bar 167 has anextension piece 168 attached at either side of the bar where the lockingbar is positioned, and when the square bar 167 is rotated it forces thelocking arm free from the square bar allowing the seat frame 154 to belowered onto the base frame 153 and base side structures. To raise theseat frame it is simply lifted up from the back, and it is automaticallyheld in position by the locking arms 156 as they lock into position. Therear rotating extension arms are longer than the front rotatingextension arm allowing the back of the seat frame to rise higher thanthe front of the frame.

The rear extension arms 155 have a mechanism such as a spring, gasstrut, rubber band or hydraulic lift 176 (FIG. 17) attached to the lowerend and to the side base frame 158 in order to counterbalance the weightof the seat thus making it easier to lift

There are two side base structures 158 and two side structures 159 asshown in FIG. 17. The side base structures 158 are fixed to the baseframe 153 (FIG. 17) and the side seat structures 159 are secured to theseat frame 154. Attached to the side base structures 158 at the loweredge is a pulley wheel bar 175 (FIG. 12), with two pulley wheels 120,121 (FIG. 20) attached to its centre position. Also attached at thelower edge of the side base structures 158 is a weight stack supportframe 174 with pulley wheels 118, 119 (FIG. 20) attached centrally.There are heavy-duty wheel castors 193 (FIG. 12) also secured to thelower edge of the side base structure, which allows the chair to beeasily moved. The side seat structures 159 are of an L-shape, and avertical back 160 (FIG. 19) is attached to its vertical edge stabilizingthe structure. Attached to the top of the L-shaped side seat structureis an upper load bearing support frame 162 (FIG. 18) which is alsosecured to the vertical back 160. The upper load bearing frame 162consists of a rectangular frame with a pulley wheel 106 (FIG. 18)between the frame at its centre position and parallel to the side seatstructure. The rear member of the upper load bearing support frame is aload-bearing beam having a hole in its central position. There are twoflexible weight guides secured at the top extremity to the load-bearingbeam by means of the clamps 163 (FIG. 18). The lower extremity of theflexible weight guide is secured to the weight stack support frame,which is fixed to the base side structure. When the chair is lifted andlocked into the exercise mode, the flexible guides become tight and tautallowing the weights to slide freely up and down their length.

A high pull extension piece 133 (FIG. 18) is secured to the centre of aload bearing beam which forms the back of the load bearing frame 142(FIG. 18). The high pull extension piece consists of a rod or barsecured at its lower extremity into the hole of the load bearing beamand having a pulley wheel 134 (FIG. 20) attached to the top extremity.

A butterfly arm mechanism comprises a pivot housing 115 (FIG. 18) havinga friction insert, housing the butterfly pivot rod 165 (FIG. 19) andfixed to the side of the L-shaped seat structure 159. The pivot rod 165is connected to the butterfly arm 110 (FIG. 19) having a separate cablespacer arm 111 (FIG. 18) pivoted to it. The vertical piece of thebutterfly arm is a hollow section and houses an adjustable butterflyhandgrip 166. The butterfly arm 110 is also connected to the cablespacer arm 111, by means of a connecting link 109 which pulls the cablespacer arm rotating on a vertical axis about pivot point 165 a in acircular motion. The arm 111 has two vertical anchor rods 114 where thecable 116 (FIG. 18) passes through. The cable 116 passes through a cablestop 112 which with a simple fixing is held in position along the cable116. When the butterfly module is used, force is exerted against forearmpads 113 (FIG. 20) that in turn rotates cable spacer 111 via theconnecting link 109. The cable spacer 111 allows the force exerted onbutterfly arm 110 to be relatively constant, as the arm 110 rotatesallowing the cable 116 to be kept at a constant radius from pivot point165 a. As the arm 111 rotates it pulls cable stop 112 and pulls cable16, which is connected to a floating pulley 17. The floating pulley 117connected to cable 135, transmits the force to the weight stack byconnection 107 and cable 108 (FIG. 20).

A pectoral bar 125 or handgrip 181 can be attached to a hook 126 on thecable 116 which passes through anchor 114. When the pectoral bar 125 orhandgrip 181 is pushed forward, the force exerted is transmitted to theweight stack via cable 116, coupling the floating pulley 117 to cable135. Cable 135 is connected to cables 107 and 108 which are connected tolifting rod 103 and the force is thereby transmitted to the weightstack.

A stomach exercise is achieved by pushing the pectoral bar 125 forwardagainst the bar with the chest. The pectoral bar 125 and handgrip 181can then be disconnected when not in use.

A leg extension mechanism as depicted in FIG. 13 comprises two parallelextension arms 122 and a hollow tubular front extension arm 123connected inside the two arms by an elbow pivot 140. The top of the arms122 is attached to the front member 128 of the seat frame 154 by meansof a hinge 127. This hinge allows the two arms to swing freely when inexercise mode. Attached to extension arms 122 is a cable spacer piece124 (FIG. 20) which rotates as the arms 122 rotate. A tee piece 129slides inside the extension arm 123 (FIG. 13). The front cross bar isprovided with a protective material cover for cushioning the user'sankles when the apparatus is in use. The tee piece 129 can be extendedor retracted according to the leg length of the apparatus user byadjustment of a thumb screw 139. The feet of the exercise apparatus usermay be hooked under the front cross bar 129 and raised and loweredagainst the resistance of the weight stack via cable 108. When theextension arms 122, 123 are pushed forwards and upwards they do nottraverse in a perfect arc and tend to ride up on the leg of the user. Inorder to prevent this effect occurring, another instep foot bar 130pivoting on swivel arms 173 (FIG. 13) is placed under the cross bar andthis provision serves to keep the tee piece in a constant position onthe user's ankle.

For a biceps curl exercise, the instep foot bar 130 is lifted and thiscomponent then also acts as a handgrip bar for this exercise. As thehandgrip is pulled upwards the force exerted is transmitted to cable 108which passes under the cable spacer arm 124 keeping it at a constantradius from the hinge 127. The cable spacer piece allows a constantforce to be felt by the apparatus user as the extension arms are raised.The force on cable 108 is then transmitted to the weight stack pick uprod 103 which in turn lifts the weight stack.

A rowing exercise is achieved by pulling the instep bar 130 away fromthe chair while the apparatus user is seated on the floor. As the instepbar 130 is pulled away from the chair, force is applied to cable 108which is then transmitted to the weight stack pick up rod 103 which inturn lifts the weight stack

A bicycle attachment can be connected to the leg extension module asshown in FIG. 14. The bar 150 is of a square section material usuallymetal having a connection lug 149 attached. This connection lug slotsinto the square hollow section extension arm 123. The bar 150 is held inposition on the two arms 122 by a bolt with a hand turn knob 147 passingthrough the bar 150 and tightened with cross plates 147 a onto the arms122. The pedal arm is a Z-shape with rod 151 being held onto a slidingtube 181 by a clamp 177 and 179 and a turn bolt 148. The rod has twostandard bicycle pedals 152 attached on either side of the rotatablecrankshaft. The crankshaft formed by the rod 151 passes through afriction sleeve 180 and as the turn bolt 148 is tightened the frictionon the crankshaft will increase thus causing the apparatus user to applya greater physical force to turn the pedals 152. The tube 181 slidesalong bar 150 to allow the apparatus user to adjust the position of thepedals to suit the individual leg length. The tube 181 is kept inposition along bar 150 by a turn bolt 178 (FIG. 15).

FIG. 20 shows the connection links which are used to access the weightstack which is provided with rectangular weight bodies that are mountedon a pair of flexible vertical guides 104. Each weight having a centralhorizontal hole registering with a respective hole in the pick-up rod103. The central pick-up rod has a lift cable 108 attached which passesover a pulley wheel 106. The amount of weight to be lifted is selectedby engaging a lock pin 102 through the appropriate hole in the weightstack and into the pick-up rod 103. Thus when the cable is adequatelytensioned the selected number of weights in the stack will be lifted.

The cable function depicted in FIG. 20 comprises mainly five cableswhich are cable 108, connected to the pick-up rod 103 passing over thepulley wheel 106 down under the pulley wheel 118, to pulley wheel 121onto the leg extension module and connected to front extension tube 123.Cable 135 is connected to cable 108 by a coupling 107, which can be asimple ring fastened to cable 108 where the cable 135 is fastened. Cable135 is connected to coupling 107, then passes down under pulleys 119 and120 and is connected to a floating pulley coupling 117 (FIG. 20). Cable116 passes through the floating pulley 117 over pulley 5 and has a hook126 at each of the extremities of the cable 116. The hook 126 isattached to each end the pectoral bar 125 or hand grips 181 (FIG. 18) bymeans of a ring fastening. When the pectoral bar 125, or hand grips 181is pushed forward, force is transmitted from cable 116 to cable 135 viafloating pulley 117 which is connected to cable 108 via connection 107.The force is then transmitted to pick up rod 103 where the appropriatenumber of weights is lifted. Cable 116 has a cable stop 112 securedalong each side of its length (FIG. 20) which hooks onto vertical anchorrods 114 fixed to the cable spacer arm 111. When the butterfly press pad113 is rotated in a forward direction, it rotates the cable spacer armvia connecting link 109 and transmits the force to the weight stack asdescribed above. Cable 131 is also connected to pick up rod 103 (FIG.20) and to connection 136. When the high pull extension piece 133 isattached to the upper support bearing beam a second cable 131 a isconnected to cable 131 via a coupling 136 and then travels over pulleywheel 134 and to a hook or connection on the high pull bar 132. When thehigh pull bar is pulled downwards, force is transmitted via cable 131 aand via cable 131 to the weight stack 1 as described.

The basic upholstery of the exercise apparatus armchair is a padded sidepanel 182, 183 (FIG. 21) fixed to the side base structure 158 and to theside seat structure 169 and covered with an upholstery material. Theback support 160 (FIG. 21) is secured to the vertical edge of the seatside structure 159 and an upholstered panel 186 attached thereto formingthe padded back of the exercise chair. The side flaps 190 conceal theback panel 159 a and the butterfly arms 110. The side flaps are flexiblyhinged at the lower edge to the outside arm of the chair, and held inposition by the upholstery material on the back panel 186. The seat ofthe chair is a normal firm conventional cushion 185 placed onto the seatframe 154. The top portion of the backrest 187 (FIG. 21) consists of anupholstered top panel secured to the load bearing frame with an openingat its centre for the high pull extension piece. A specially shapedcushion 188 is placed over the arms of the chair to conceal thebutterfly rod housing. A fixing piece 191 is secured to the front member128 of the seat frame 154 (FIG. 12) to which the front upholstered panelor material 189 is fastened concealing the leg extension mechanism. Theback panel 159 a (FIG. 18), the top upholstered panel 187, the paddedback panel 186, and side arms 183 (FIG. 21) form a recess at the rear ofthe backrest 160 where all of the butterfly mechanism can be stowedaway. When the butterfly mechanism is thus stowed, the side flaps 190(FIG. 21) can be placed in position and the exercise apparatus has beenconverted again to an armchair configuration. The exercise apparatus ofthe invention has been found to provide a practical construction ofmachine that may be built at a reasonable cost. The invention providesan armchair that does not look out of place in a living room or officebut which can be transformed into an exercise machine within seconds.The seat of the chair lifts up and it is locked in position forperforming multiple exercises, and thus exercising most of the bodymuscle groups in a normal workout. Each exercise routine operatesindependently and the apparatus enables many routines to be performedthat are normally undertaken only on a much larger machine. When theapparatus is not in use, it is simply lowered down and it returns to theappearance of a comfortable armchair.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has been givenby way of example only and a number of modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims. For instance, the vertical guides which serve to retain theweights of the weight stack 1 in alignment with one another, could bereplaced by end or corner guides which are located adjacent to the outeredges of the weights

1. An exercise apparatus having a seat portion and a backrest in theconfiguration of a chair, which in a first passive mode conceals thepresence of a plurality of exercise elements which together form anexercise apparatus, and in a second exercise mode reveals one or more ofsaid exercise elements for a user, the position of the seat portionbeing altered and locked in a position with respect to a base portionand support surface on which the apparatus stands when the apparatus ismoved between its first passive mode and the second exercise mode.
 2. Anexercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the seat portion maybe raised and tilted to a position parallel to the support surface whenthe chair is altered from the first mode to said second exercise mode.3. An exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the chairincludes supporting frame elements which are interconnected operably toallow movement of the seat portion between said modes.
 4. An exerciseapparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which at least two frame elementsinterlock to provide a locking mechanism to secure the chair in saidsecond exercise mode, the locking mechanism being releasable by arotation of one of said frame elements.
 5. An exercise apparatus asclaimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the exercise elements areconnected to a single resistance source which is adjustable to vary theresistance to movement encountered by a user at the exercise elements.6. An exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which the resistancesource comprises a set of ‘free’ weights.
 7. An exercise apparatus asclaimed in claim 6, in which the free weights are movable along flexibleguides which collapse from a taut condition when the chair is moved froman exercise mode to a passive mode.
 8. An exercise apparatus as claimedin claim 5, in which the resistance source is selected from one or moreresistance means such as springs, tension bands including rubber ropes,hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, a set of free weights, electromagneticresistance means, or dynamic friction mechanisms.
 9. An exerciseapparatus as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, in which theresistance source is disposed centrally at a rear side of the backrest.10. An exercise apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims,in which the backrest includes a pair of opposed side panels which arecapable of being opened to allow access to a pair of exercise elementsadapted to operate together against a single resistance source.
 11. Anexercise apparatus as claimed in claim 10, in which the exerciseelements include a ‘butterfly’ mechanism having a pair of butterfly armseach of which is rotatable about a secured pivot against the resistanceto movement provided by said resistance source.
 12. An exerciseapparatus as claimed in claim 11, in which each butterfly arm includes aconstant resistance means effective to ensure the resistance to movementof the butterfly arms is substantially retained throughout the stroke.13. An exercise apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in whichthe connecting elements are attached to resistance elements for use as achest press exercise means.
 14. An exercise apparatus as claimed in anypreceding claim, in which the backrest includes a centrally disposedsupport beam having attachment means for a ‘high pull’ exercise elementand having a resistance to movement provided by the said singleresistance source.
 15. An exercise apparatus as claimed in any precedingclaim, in which the seat portion has an exposed front edge to whichthere is hingedly attached an exercise element movable against aresistance source, the exercise element being so shaped as to provideexercise regimes for two or more separate muscle groups.
 16. An exerciseapparatus as claimed in claim 15, in which the hingedly attachedexercise element has an arc element piece or other elements attached toprovide a downward force resisting upward movement.
 17. An exerciseapparatus as claimed in claim 15, in which the exercise element issecurable in a fixed extended position and to which there is attachablea cycle crank mechanism having a pair of pedals connected via arotatable shank, resistance to rotation of the pedals being provided byan adjustable friction sleeve.
 18. an exercise apparatus as in claim 6in which the resistance source comprises a set of free weights where theup stand guide elements are located adjacent to the outer edges of theweights, facilitating easy removal of the weights
 19. An exerciseapparatus substantially as herein described, with reference to and asshown in the accompanying drawings.